Johnson warns about European covid “wave”

Boris Johnson has warned that “a new wave of Covid has steadily swept through central Europe and is now affecting our nearest neighbours in Western Europe.

“We don’t yet know the extent to which this new wave will wash up on our shores, but history shows we cannot afford to be complacent.”

It comes after the Netherlands and Austria re-imposed restrictions following an upturn in covid cases. While UK cases have stagnated, many European nations are facing severe surges.

The prime minister reiterated calls to be vaccinated, saying: “Those countries with lower vaccination rates have tended to see bigger surges in infection, and in turn been forced to respond with harsher measures, while those countries with higher vaccination rates have, so far, fared better.

“If we want to avoid new restrictions on our daily lives, we must all get vaccinated as soon as we are eligible.”